Once your team has infiltrated Banon, found Cid, and acquired the Airship, you're supposed to initially head to Troia, a town and castle in the middle of the woods on the west side of the planet. While that should be your ultimate goal, there are many areas around the Final Fantasy IV Overworld that can be accessed now. Many of these places we'll come to later, but for the time being, you can get some upgraded equipment, treasure, et cetera early! Here are the three towns and a castle you should visit early, and what you should acquire at each...

1.) Mythril - This town is located in one of the bottom islands of the ocean-spanning archipelago on the east side of the map. The island is tiny, as is the town. In the town, all of the beings are pigmy (perhaps a shout out to that episode of Nova on PBS about the pigmy humans on that island in Indonesia?... okay, probably not.)

In anycase, the items to be found here are somewhat numerous. In the green bushes at the back end of the town, you will find a Mythril Knife on the right side and 5,000 Gil on the left side (walk through the green bushes into you run into something, then simply search it.) On the east side of town in between the first and second row of houses, you will find a Mythril Staff in the bushes as well. What's even cooler about this town, however, is what you can buy at the Weapon and Armor shops. You can buy the Mythril Knife and Staff you just found (no need now, however), but you can also buy a Mythril Hammer for Cid and a Mythril Sword for Cecil. An amazing amount of good armor can be bought too (and at this point can be equipped on both Cecil and Cid) - Mythril Shields, Mythril Armor, Mythril Helms, and Mythril Gloves! You probably won't have enough Gil to buy the goods, however, so if you choose, simply run around and gain some levels/get some experience on the island or elsewhere, and purchase!

2.) Mist - Do you remember the village of Mist? Kain and Cecil went there very early in the game and completely destroyed the place. However, we can now go back and visit. The town is still small, there's barely any people there to speak to, but... we can grab some goods quickly while we're there. The weapon and armor shops have nothing strong in them, so it's simply a matter of grabbing the goods. Three Bomb Fragments can be found in the town, all hidden by bushes. The first two are in a secret area in the lower righthand corner of the town. The third is also located in bushes above on the right side.

The real goods are located in the house in the upper left corner of the town, however. Enter into this house and you'll see a fireplace with no fire lit in it. Walk through the fireplace and follow the pathway to a secret room with three treasure chests, where you'll uncover a Ruby Ring, some Clothes, and a Gold Hairpin. The fun's not over, however. If you leave this room through the right side (instead of through the left side you came in through), you can follow another secret passage to a room with a lone treasure chest. Open it to find the Rod of Change.

3.) Agart - There's nothing really special to find here (other than an Antarctic Wind in some bushes... see the screenshot). However, you can talk to everyone here and learn about some spacial activity that will interest you later in the game. A little foreshadowing if you will! The weapons and armor shop has nothing special there either, so you can just grab the lone item here, talk to everyone, and then leave. If you're curious where this town is, it's on an island at the bottom of the map towards the center.

4.) Eblan Castle - When you enter the castle, run forward through a couple of doors, working your way deeper into the enemy-less castle. When you get to a room with open treasure chests, make sure to grab the Hi-Potion out of the one unopened chest on the right in the room, and then proceed forward to the empty throne room. While there's no one in this room,you will be able to find secret staircases flanking the throne room on the right and left leading to the small rooms in the previous area with otherwise-secluded treasures. On the left, you'll find an Alarm Clock and a Unicorn Horn. On the right, you'll find a Gold Needle, a Maiden's Kiss, and a Cottage.

The only other things of interest in here are the two wings of the castle that we previously ignored. Head back towards the entrance of the castle, where you'll find that you can access two towers on opposite sides of the castle (via a staircase and an open iron gate). In the west side tower, head up to the second floor first. Go into the alcove at the left side of the screen to find a hidden staircase leading to the room below where you entered - here you will be able to access a chest with a Bomb Core in it. Search the jars on the second floor to find Bacchus's Cider. Mute Arrows and 10,000 Gil can be acquired by going through the gap in the jars at the bottom of the second floor and following the secret pathway to the right to the chests. As for that first chest on the first floor - head towards the door on the first floor, then head rightward around a hidden pathway to the chest. In the chest are monsters (a Steel Golem and four Skuldiers). Defeating them will net you a Sleep Blade.

As for the treasure in the east side tower, head up to the second floor immediately and hit the switch on the wall there to open a door. Find Hermes' Shoes in one of the jars at the top of the room. Also, an Emergency Exit and 2 Hi-Potions can be found. On the second floor you can also access the fourth treasure in front of the hole in the ground via a secret passage above it on the right. Fight the enemies in the chest to acquire a Blood Lance for Kain. Back on the first floor, grab Coeurl's Whisker from the hidden pathway in the upper left corner of the room.

After all of this, go back up to the second floor and drop into the hole in the ground. You'll land near the treasure chest in the room below (a Silver Hourglass is within). Go downward into another hidden staircase/hole that'll lead to a secret underground passageway. In the treasure chests here, you will acquire a Silver Apple and 2 Ethers (the first one you'll have to fight some monsters for). With them in hand, simply follow the rest of the short linear pathway to the exit, and back onto the world map.